This invention relates generally to transmitting optical signals in optical fibers, and more particularly, to reducing pulse broadening in a nonlinear operating region of optical fiber transmission and ultra-fast optical switching.
FIG. 1 shows that an initial optical pulse 2 becomes a broader pulse 3 after traveling through an optical fiber 4. One source of broadening of pulse 2 results from dispersion. One cause of dispersion is a variation in a fiber""s refractive index with wavelength. The fiber""s refractive index is defined as the ratio of speed of light in vacuum to speed of light in the fiber. The refractive index variations make longer and shorter wavelength components of pulse 2 travel at different speeds in optical fiber 4. After traveling through a certain length of optical fiber 4, the speed variations produce broader pulse 3. Another cause of dispersion is waveguide dispersion, which is induced by the geometric configuration of fiber 4.
Pulse broadening can affect the quality of digital data transmission in optical fiber 4. Digital data is transmitted as a series of optical pulses. Each temporal interval for a pulse may represent one binary bit. For example, a data format called On-Off Keying (OOK) indicates the binary states xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d corresponding to the presence and absence of a pulse, respectively. As pulses broaden and overlap, a receiver may not be able to determine whether a pulse is present in a particular time interval or whether a detected optical signal is the tail of a previous or subsequent pulse. Inserting an amplifier 5 into optical fiber 4 can help to reduce receiver errors due to propagation weakening of pulse intensities. But, amplifier 5 does not help to reduce receiver errors caused by the dispersion-generated pulse broadening and overlap.
Present optical fiber communications typically use optical pulses having wavelengths of about 1.5 microns, because erbium-doped fibers can provide quality optical amplification at 1.5 microns. Unfortunately, many older optical fibers produce significant chromatic dispersion in optical signals at 1.5 microns. This chromatic dispersion produces significant pulse broadening, which limits transmission wavelengths and distances in contemporary optical networks.
The refractive index of fiber 4 also varies with the magnitude of electric field ∈ of pulse 2. For symmetric molecules, such as silica glasses of which most optical fibers are made, the first-order ∈ dependent term in the refractive index vanishes. The higher-order terms of ∈, ∈2, in particular, in the refractive index produce most of the nonlinear effects in optical fibers. When the intensity in pulse 2 is low, the higher-order terms of ∈ in the refractive index only have negligible effects, and therefore pulse 2 is in a linear operating region of fiber 4. When the intensity of pulse 2 is sufficiently high, the higher-order terms of ∈ become non-negligible and cause pulse 2 to enter a nonlinear region of operation of fiber 4.
A notable manifestation of the nonlinear operation of fibers is self-phase modulation (SPM). SPM generally causes a pulse to broaden in spectrum while the pulse is propagating in the nonlinear operation region of a fiber. However, the effects of spectral broadening caused by SPM may counterbalance the effects of chromatic dispersion with the result that the pulse retains its shape.
The chromatic dispersion is characterized by a second order chromatic dispersion parameter xcex22, which is a function of the pulse""s wavelength and derivatives of the fiber""s refractive index with respect to the wavelength. If xcex22 is negative, the pulse is said to be propagating in an anomalous dispersion regime of the fiber. In the anomalous dispersion regime, the SPM causes the leading edge of the pulse to travel slower than its trailing edge, thus effectively compressing the pulse and balancing out the pulse broadening induced by the second order chromatic dispersion.
A pulse propagating in the fiber with balanced SPM and chromatic dispersion is a form of solitary wave called a soliton. Ideally, a soliton may travel a long distance while retaining its shape and spectrum. However, a soliton is susceptible to amplitude fluctuations, which may be caused by, for example, the amplifiers that are required along the fiber. The amplitude fluctuations generate frequency shifts, which in turn cause Gordon-Haus time jitters due to different frequencies traveling at different velocities. The frequency shifts and Gordon-Haus time jitters are detrimental to a data transmission system. In a wave-length division multiplexing (WDM) system, frequency shifts produce undesired emissions outside of the allotted frequency band assigned to each channel, and the undesired emissions may interfere with other channels or other systems; while time jitters create problems of data clock recovery at a receiver or regenerator site, because data bits represented by the optical pulses may not be synchronized due to the timing uncertainties.
Time jitters can be reduced by inserting sliding filters in strategically chosen locations along the fiber span. Another method to reduce time jitters is a dispersion-managed soliton technique that uses dispersion compensating fibers, which have dispersion characteristics tuned to compensate for the time jitters along the fiber span. The overall average dispersion characteristicis, on the other hand, is designed to counterbalance the SPM.
Even with dispersion management, any soliton, when traveling far enough into a fiber, surrenders to an effect called third order dispersion (TOD). TOD causes the soliton to spread unsymmetrically in the temporal domain into a widened, non-symmetrical pulse. FIGS. 2 illustrates the TOD effects on a soliton. FIG. 2 shows a soliton pulse after being unsymmetrically spread by TOD.
Some implementations allow a soliton to travel over long distance with optical regenerators. The design of regenerators, for example, optical 2R (re-shape and re-time) or 3R (re-shape, re-time and re-amplify), involves complicated issues such as polarization sensitivities, cost and complexities.
In general, in one aspect, the invention is a method of generating a signal pulse in an optical fiber characterized by dispersion and a refraction index that has a nonlinear regime of operation. The method involves generating a sequence of coherent optical pulses each of which has an associated energy; and introducing the sequence of pulses into the optical fiber, wherein the pulses in the sequence of pulses are sufficiently close in spacing so that after traveling a predetermined length down the optical fiber, the pulses of the sequence of pulses overlap and interfere to form an interference pattern. The associated energy of at least one of the pulses of the sequence of pulses is within the nonlinear regime of the optical fiber.
In general, in another aspect, the invention is a method of generating a signal pulse in an optical fiber that involves generating a sequence of coherent optical pulses each of which has an associated energy; and introducing the sequence of pulses into the optical fiber, wherein the pulses in the sequence of pulses are sufficiently close in spacing so that after traveling a predetermined length down the optical fiber, the pulses of the sequence of pulses overlap and interfere to form an interference pattern having a central lobe and multiple side lobes. The interference pattern is characterized by a contrast ratio, and the associated energy of each pulse of the sequence of pulses is sufficiently high relative to characteristics of the optical fiber so as to cause the contrast ratio of the interference pattern to increase as the interference pattern propagates further along the optical fiber.
In general, in still another aspect, the invention is a method of generating a signal pulse in an optical fiber that involves generating a sequence of coherent optical pulses each of which has an associated energy; and introducing the sequence of pulses into the optical fiber, wherein the pulses in the sequence of pulses are sufficiently close in spacing so that after traveling a predetermined length down the optical fiber, the pulses of the sequence of pulses overlap and interfere to form an interference pattern having a central lobe and multiple side lobes. The associated energy of each pulse of the sequence of pulses is sufficiently high relative to characteristics of the optical fiber so as to cause energy from the side lobes to transfer into the central lobe as the interference pattern propagates further along the optical fiber.
Preferred embodiments include one or more of the following features. Each of the pulses of the sequence of pulses has energy that is within the nonlinear regime of the optical fiber. The sequence of pulses may include only two pulses or it may include more than two pulses. The generating of a sequence of coherent optical pulses involves supplying a continuous wave laser beam; and chopping the continuous wave laser beam to produce the sequence of optical pulses. Alternatively, the method of generating the sequence of coherent optical pulses involves supplying a single coherent optical pulse; and producing the sequence of optical pulses from the single optical pulse.
In general in still another aspect, the invention is a system for generating a signal pulse in an optical fiber characterized by dispersion and a refraction index that has a nonlinear regime of operation. The system includes a source of coherent laser energy; and a transmitter for coupling to the optical fiber and which during operation, receives the laser energy from the source and outputs a sequence of coherent optical pulses. The transmitter is configured to generate the pulses in the sequence of pulses with sufficiently close spacing so that after traveling a predetermined length down the optical fiber, the pulses of the sequence of pulses overlap and interfere to form an interference pattern. The transmitter is also configured to generate at least one pulse of the sequence of pulses to have an energy that is within the nonlinear regime of the optical fiber.
Preferred embodiments include one or more of the following features. The transmitter is configured to generate each of the pulses of the sequence of pulses to have an energy that is within the nonlinear regime of the optical fiber. The sequence of pulses may include only two pulses or it may include more than two pulses. If the source of coherent laser energy provides a continuous wave optical beam, the transmitter might then include an optical shutter that during operation chops the continuous optical beam to produce the sequence of optical pulses. Alternatively, it the source of coherent light supplies a single coherent optical pulse, then the transmitter might include a splitter that receives the single pulse, a plurality of optical paths connected to an output of the splitter, each of the plurality of optical paths characterized by a different delay, and a combiner receiving each of the plurality of optical paths and during operation outputting the sequence of optical pulses.
In general, in yet another aspect, the invention is a method of generating a signal for transmission down an optical fiber characterized by dispersion and a non-linear regime of operation. The method includes: generating a first sequence of coherent optical pulses each of which has an associated energy, wherein the pulses in the first sequence of optical pulses are sufficiently close in spacing so that upon traveling a predetermined length down the optical fiber, the pulses of the first sequence of pulses will overlap and interfere to form a first interference pattern with a first central lobe having a characteristic wavelength, and wherein the associated energy of at least one of the pulses of the first sequence of pulses is within the non-linear regime of the optical fiber; and manipulating the pulses of the first sequence of optical pulses to generate a first manipulated sequence of pulses. It further includes generating a second sequence of coherent optical pulses each of which has an associated energy, wherein the pulses in the second sequence of optical pulses are sufficiently close in spacing so that upon traveling a predetermined length down the optical fiber, the pulses of the second sequence of pulses will overlap and interfere to form a second interference pattern with a second central lobe having a characteristic wavelength, and wherein the associated energy of at least one of the pulses of the second sequence of pulses is within the non-linear regime of the optical fiber; and manipulating the pulses of the second sequence of optical pulses to generate a second manipulated sequence of pulses. The method also includes introducing both the first manipulated sequence of pulses and the second manipulated sequence of pulses into the optical fiber, wherein the manipulating of the pulses of the first and the second sequence of pulses shifts the characteristic wavelengths of the first and second central lobes, respectively, to first and second transmission signal wavelengths.
In general, in still yet another aspect, the invention features an apparatus for sending optical signals down an optical fiber characterized by dispersion and a non-linear regime of operation. The apparatus includes: a first optical signal source which during operation generates a first sequence of coherent optical pulses each of which has an associated energy, wherein the pulses in the first sequence of optical pulses are sufficiently close in spacing so that upon traveling a predetermined length down the optical fiber, the pulses of the first sequence of pulses will overlap and interfere to form a first interference pattern with a first central lobe having a characteristic wavelength, and wherein the associated energy of at least one of the pulses of the first sequence of pulses is within the non-linear regime of the optical fiber; a frequency shifter which during operation manipulates the pulses of the first sequence of optical pulses to generate a first manipulated sequence of pulses; a second optical signal source which during operation generates a second sequence of coherent optical pulses each of which has an associated energy, wherein the pulses in the second sequence of optical pulses are sufficiently close in spacing so that upon traveling a predetermined length down the optical fiber, the pulses of the second sequence of pulses will overlap and interfere to form a second interference pattern with a second central lobe having a characteristic wavelength, and wherein the associated energy of at least one of the pulses of the second sequence of pulses is within the non-linear regime of the optical fiber; a second frequency shifter which during operation manipulates the pulses of the second sequence of optical pulses to generate a second manipulated sequence of pulses; and a wavelength division multiplexer system which during operation receives both the first manipulated sequence of pulses and the second manipulated sequence of pulses and introduces them into the optical fiber, wherein the first and second frequency shifters shift the characteristic wavelengths of the first and second central lobes, respectively, to first and second transmission signal wavelengths.
Embodiments may have one or more of the following advantages. A new optical solitary wave, the hyper-soliton, is discovered for transmitting in the non-linear operating region of an optical fiber. The hyper-soliton does not spread as it travels down the fiber, and carries digital signals over a broad frequency range. Further aspects, features and advantages will become apparent by the following.
The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.